95 Army soldiers promoted to next rank

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – Ninety-five (95) personnel of the Army’s 62nd Infantry Battalion (IB) in Negros Occidental have been promoted to the next rank.

Colonel William Pesase Jr., 62nd IB commander, led the pinning of ranks of the newly promoted personnel at their headquarters in Barangay Libas, Isabela town last Monday.

The newly promoted personnel are composed of 23 sergeants, 38 corporals, and 34 Private First Class, who have completed the corresponding requirements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) promotional system such as positions, proficiency, and training. They also underwent thorough physical and medical examinations as part of their qualification.

“You deserve this promotion because of your hard work and dedication,” Pesase said, as he congratulated them for their achievement.

Pesase urged them to not forget their organizational culture of leadership, teamwork, and excellence, as guides to be competitive in work and their drive in sustaining peace and development in Central Negros.

“As you wear your new rank, remember that with great responsibility comes great opportunity,” he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, seven enlisted personnel of the 303rd Infantry Brigade (IBde) were also promoted to the next rank. These are three corporals and four sergeants.

Brigadier General Orlando Edralin, 303rd IBde commander, led the donning of ranks to newly-promoted non-commissioned officers and the pinning of the unit badge to newly-assigned officers and personnel at the 303rd headquarters in Barangay Minoyan, Murcia town last Tuesday.

In his statement, Edralin said this is the brigade’s simple way of recognizing their significant contribution to the organization, manifesting the hard work that they have put into military service.

“Promotion entails greater responsibilities, and as your rank gets higher, so does development, maturity, and various opportunities for you to excel more in the different tasks delegated to you,” Edralin said in a statement to the newly promoted personnel.

Edralin is confident that they will carry out their job with utmost excellence with this renowned motivation. “May this serve as an inspiration to you and your family. Congratulations on your well-deserved promotion,” he said.

During the ceremony, Edralin also welcomed Colonel Victor Llapitan as the new deputy brigade commander. He was formerly the Assistant Chief of Staff for Civil-Military Operations of the Philippine Army.

Another newly assigned officer is Lieutenant Colonel Alfredo San Agustin, and an enlisted personnel Corporal Ven Gador.

“As you join us, we are thrilled to have someone of your caliber and experience onboard, and we are confident that your skills and dedication to duty will significantly contribute to our collective success,” Edralin said.

Donning of ranks is one of the traditions and good practices of the unit to formally recognize the well-deserved and rightfully earned advancement of the newly-promoted enlisted personnel, while the pinning of ranks ceremony is a military tradition administered to recognize and highlight a milestone in the military personnels’ respective careers.

It signifies a new chapter in their noble profession that carries more responsibility, according to the Army.